


Rin-senpai's Secret Talent

by Ricky_Royal



Category: Free!
Genre: Anime, M/M, iwatobi swim club - Freeform, nitorin - Freeform, rintori - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-25
Updated: 2015-03-25
Packaged: 2018-03-19 15:11:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3614529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ricky_Royal/pseuds/Ricky_Royal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ai discovers one of Rin's many surprising talents.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rin-senpai's Secret Talent

The biting autumn wind whipped through the dying trees, their branches rattling hollowly in the growing dusk. Aiichiro, baring his thin shoulders against the cold, pulled his school jacket around him tightly as he left the Samezuka cafeteria. He looked skyward, glancing here and there at the gathering clouds. They looked mean and imposing in the twilight. His pace quickened as he thought of the warmth of his dorm, a steaming cup of tea, and his diary waiting for him inside.

His dormitory building was a welcome sight, brightly lit and wholesome-looking against the grim, sickly sky. He bounded up the short flight of stairs that framed the main entrance and dashed inside, eager to escape the chilly evening air. _Wrong day to wear shorts_ , he thought. His legs, lean and porcelain-pale, were covered in goose bumps. Navigating the hallways towards his room, he hastily smoothed down his wispy silver hair, upset by the wind during his walk.

He paused for a moment outside his door as he fished his room key from his jacket pocket. A sudden banging and slamming of doors sounded from the far end of the hallway. Clad in nothing but a towel wrapped loosely around his waist, Captain Seijuro burst from the bathrooms, apparently fresh from a shower. His flaming crimson hair was slicked back, and his toned swimmer’s body was framed by billowing cloud of steam as he strode towards his own room, directly across the hall from Aiichiro’s. “Hey, Aiichiro. How’s it going? Up to no good?” Seijuro was laughing—his usual, excitable self.

“No, captain,” said Aiichiro nervously. He didn’t want Seijuro to think he was prowling around. “I just came back from dinner.”

“Sure! That’s just what someone with something to hide would say!” Seijuro was perpetually messing around with the underclassmen. Aiichiro knew that he didn’t mean anything by it, but it was still nerve-wracking to be considered suspicious by his captain. Seijuro caught the startled look on Aiichiro’s face. “Don’t worry, Aiichiro! I’m only kidding. Sleep well, okay? I’ll see you at practice tomorrow.” He slipped into his own room and, with a final, endearing grin, was gone.

Aiichiro stood in the hallway for a few moments, puzzled by the entire exchange. With a slight sigh, he opened the door to his room, expecting to find it empty as it usually was after dinner. He was surprised, then, to find his senpai, Rin Matsuoka, sitting crossed-legged at the foot of their bunk bed; his deep garnet eyes fixed intently on something in his lap.

“Rin-senpai!” exclaimed Aiichiro. “I didn’t expect you to be in. I though you might be out running. Or studying in the library.”

“You shouldn’t be too surprised. I _do_ live here, you know.” Rin answered, without breaking concentration.

Aiichiro stood, staring. He was anxious to discover what Rin was so engaged in. In his lap sat a partially constructed scarf woven from alternating, inch-thick layers of vibrant pink and black. Two corresponding balls of yarn, mostly unraveled, lay at Rin’s feet while his dexterous hands were occupied with a pair of dark blue sewing needles, both covered in small scratches from top to bottom, as though he had been chewing on them. “Rin-senpai! You know how to knit?”

“ _Of course_ I know how to knit! What do you take me for? Some kind of wild animal? What of it, anyway? Do you have some kind of problem with knitting?” Rin challenged, clearly on the defensive.

“No, Rin-senpai! That’s not what I meant at all. I don’t have a problem with knitting. My mom knits.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Rin returned, though his tone made it hard to tell if he was being serious. Beneath the dour facade, his bright eyes were smiling. “Are you trying to compare me to _your_ mom? I bet I could knit circles around her.”

Poor Aiichiro was stunned. He forced himself to take a deep breath. It was all he could do to avoid bolting from the room, crying. Aiichiro, trying to avoid making eye contact with Rin, glanced sidelong as his desk; now at the bed; now at the window. Outside, it had begun to rain. He spied a brown paper bag, crumpled and worn-looking, filled to the brim with multicolored balls of yarn and another pair of thick, matching needles. Red, this time, instead of blue.

Finally, taking his eyes off his work, Rin saw Aiichiro’s searching expression and simply said: “Knitting relaxes me. I’m not some kind of old lady or anything—like your mom.” He gestured, both hands occupied, towards Aiichiro. “And I’m freakin’ good, too. I can make scarves and hats,” and in a small voice, added “Just in time for winter.”

It was Aiichiro’s turn to speak. “Rin-senpai,” he began. “I was just surprised that you had such an impressive talent! You’re so strong and fast—I didn’t know that you were interested in such a—precise—hobby. It’s sophisticated. It suits you.” Rin relaxed a little.

“There are lots of things you don’t know about me, Ai,” said Rin. With a tiny grin, he returned to his work.

Stifling a giggle, Aiichiro tried not to let Rin see the massive smile slowly making its way across his face. He made for his desk and, grabbing his diary from the top of a messy stack of papers, began mentally piecing together his next entry...

_Dear Diary,_

_Today I learned the most amazing thing about Rin! Don’t tell anyone, Diary, but Rin-senpai, the shark of Samezuka, is secretly a master artisan—_

“I’ll leave you to it, Rin-senpai. Sorry for interrupting you.” Aiichiro turned to leave, hoping to give Rin some privacy, when he heard Rin’s voice over the tink, tink, of the needles and the gentle patter of the rain.

“Ai,” Rin said softly, after a pause, as though considering how best to proceed. “Would you like to learn to knit?”

Aiichiro’s heart skipped a beat. Slowly, he closed the door, willing himself to stay calm. He turned to face Rin. “I—would like it very much, Rin-senpai.” Aiichiro said, beaming.

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive criticism is welcome.


End file.
